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" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Swedish Message

Tue, 02 Aug 2005 08:04:10 -0400

 

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Swedish Message

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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August 02, 2005

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

" Working with idiots can kill you! "

 

That's the provocative headline of a news article a friend sent me

this week. It details a study conducted by researchers at the

Lindbergh University Medical Center in Sweden. The research team

examined medical data on 500 heart attack patients and found that 62

percent were mostly free of the typical heart attack risk factors.

 

The lead author of the study - Dr. Dagmar Andersson - explained that

when these low-risk patients were questioned about lifestyle details,

one similar thread emerged: Almost all of them reported that they

worked with " people so stupid they can barely find their way from the

parking lot to their office. "

 

" You can cut back on smoking or improve your diet, " Dr. Andersson

says, " but most people have very poor coping skills when it comes to

stupidity - they feel there's nothing they can do about it, so they

just internalize their frustration until they finally explode. "

 

Dr. Andersson's observation underlines the importance of addressing

chronic stress. But the fact is...there's no such place as the

Lindbergh University Medical Center - not in Sweden, not in

Timbucktoo...nowhere. And there's no Dr. Andersson. (The name is

apparently taken from a character in an adult film made in Sweden.)

 

This amusing hoax is pretty convincing. The article my friend sent me

looks for all the world like a copy of an authentic clipping from a

newspaper. But the fact that there was no dateline or reference to a

news agency tipped me off that someone was having us on.

 

But no matter what the source of your stress may be - I.Q.-deprived

co-workers, home life, finances - when anxieties and tensions run high

for a long period of time, it's no hoax that your brain and heart may

suffer.

 

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Memory test

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Earlier this year, researchers with the Laboratory of Human Stress

Research at McGill University reported on a study that examined the

effects of cortisol, a hormone known as a " stress hormone. " (And I can

confirm that McGill University actually DOES have a Laboratory of

Human Stress Research - in Canada, not Sweden.)

 

After conducting memory tests on both young and old subjects over a

period of three to six years, the McGill team found that long-term

stress creates high levels of cortisol that may impair learning

ability in young people while weakening memory among the elderly.

Older subjects who had high cortisol levels were also found to have a

smaller hippocampus (the area of the brain where memory is processed)

compared to older subjects who did not experience prolonged stress.

 

In the e-Alert " Research Reveals the Most Effective Action you can

take to Prevent a Heart Attack " (2/14/02), I told you about another

stress study from the Duke University Medical Center in which a cohort

of men with coronary artery disease were divided into two groups. One

group participated in a stress management program. Over a five-year

period this group reported significantly fewer cardiac events than men

who received no instruction or support in coping with stress.

 

If you feel you need some assistance in reducing your stress levels

(and most of us probably do) you can check with local health

institutions in your community. The Duke University Medical Center,

for instance, has established the Duke Center for Integrative

Medicine, offering consultation services and educational programs

designed to promote optimum health through the integration of the

health of the body with the health of the mind.

 

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Stress-reducing habits

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What can you do to take control of stress right now? Three key habits

can be an enormous help in controlling stress: maintaining a balanced,

nutritious diet, getting the right amount of sleep, and sticking with

a regular exercise program.

 

It's also important to recognize the things that trigger your stress.

You might take a moment to sit down and make a list of the stress

factors in your life. Another step that many find helpful is to talk

about your stress with someone you trust. This is where a local health

institution may be able to offer guidance.

 

Certain nutrients may also assist in managing stress. Studies have

shown that a high intake of dietary vitamin C and beta carotene can

help reduce the effects of stress overload.

 

Another option that we first told HSI members about several years ago

is called the Freeze Frame program. Created by the HeartMath Research

Center (heartmath.org), Freeze Frame is a five-step relaxation

technique that teaches pupils to remove themselves from disruptive,

stressful emotions. Pupils learn how to gain control of their

autonomic nervous system, which in turn allows them to control their

heartbeat.

 

Research has confirmed Freeze Frame's effectiveness. A study of 32

hypertension patients found that after three months of using the

Freeze Frame system, the patients were able to achieve twice the

reductions in blood pressure as normally seen with low-salt diets and

exercise therapy.

 

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....and another thing

 

Want to curb those carb craving blues?

 

In yesterday's e-Alert " Getting Clipped " (8/1/05), I told you about

two key reasons to keep chromium levels high: 1) to help prevent heart

attack, and 2) to help control blood sugar levels. Another good

reason: Some people find that chromium helps squelch the carbohydrate

cravings that have derailed many a diet.

 

This chromium benefit was confirmed in a study presented last year at

a National Institute of Mental Health Conference.

 

Researchers recruited more than 110 subjects with atypical depression.

(One of the most common symptoms of atypical depression is the craving

of carbohydrates.) About two- thirds of the subjects took a daily

supplement of chromium picolinate (CP) for eight weeks. The other

subjects received a placebo. Subjects who took the CP supplement

reported an overall drop in their carb cravings compared to the

placebo group. Many subjects in the CP group also reported

significantly less depression.

 

As I've noted in several e-Alerts, a yearning for carbs is a typical

side effect of any diet that calls for carb reduction. In time the

craving passes, but most people find it very difficult to make it over

the hump. Maybe a little chromium can help.

 

The best chromium food sources include broccoli, turkey meat, liver

(and other organ meats), seafood, whole grains, oysters, eggs and cheese.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

 

" Stress Hormones and Human Memory Function Across the Lifespan "

Psychoneuroendocrinology, Vol. 30, No. 3, April 2005, sciencedirect.com

" Chronic Stress Affects One's Brain " United Press International,

5/18/05, sciencedaily.com

 

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